Mybost coloney



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MYRON COLONEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR'TO JAMES HENRY MOLEAN, OF SAME PLACE.

' TIME-SHELL.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 225,459, dated March 16, 1880.

V Application filed November 23, 1878. i

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, MYBON OOLONEY, of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Shells, of which the following is a specification. I

' The invention is applicable to explosive projectiles of various kinds; and. it consists, first, in providing an explosive projectile with a time-firing mechanism and an elastic envelope therefor to protect it from injurious concussion; second, in the combination, in a'timeshell, of a mechanical device to determine the period of explosion, an elastic envelope therefor, and elastic diaphragms of peculiar construction employed to prevent concussion.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, 1 will proceed to describe it withreference to the accompanying drawings, I

which represent some of the many modes by which it may be carried out in practice,'and in which- Figure 1' is a longitudinal section of an explosive shell illustrating'the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of an explosive and incendiary shell, also illustrating the invention.

A A represent the walls of the shell; B, the chamber for the bursting-charge, and O a cap, which is screwed into the back of .the shell after the introduction of the time mechanism. The said mechanism I have made the subject of a separate application. It consists of a mainspring, A, wound by a key applied to the arbor'a in customary manner and actuating a train of shafts and multiplyinggearing connected with a governor, j; preferably' in the form .of a fly or fan, to regulate the speed of motion. The main shaft also permitting the setting-wheel to, be turned forwardffreely by hand by means of a key applied to its square arbor q. The settingwheel is provided with a recess to trip or re lease the trigger at the iroper moment, and by first setting the sai wheel forward by hand the period can be reduced to any extent.

The trigger consists of a bell-crank lever, formed on one of its arms .with a hammershaped head, the rear end of which rides on the periphery of the disk or setting-wheel until thejrevolu'tion of the said disk brings the recess opposite the head, at which moment a pin on the disk, coming in contact with the longer arm of the bell-crank-lever, throws the head of the other arm into the recess in the setting-wheel. The function of the bell-crank lever is to engage with .the hammert until the proper-moment'for the discharge of the shell,

when the retraction of the lever, as already described, releases the hammer t. The said pin is then thrown forward by its spring a against the cap or primer of the cartridge, which communicates fire to the explosive charge in the chamber B. The cartridge is placed within a receiver, as, turning on an cecentric pivot, so that said receiver may be thrown outward for the purpose of introducing the cartridge.

k is a thumb-piece onthe hammer t for retracting it into cocked position.

When the apparatus is cooked and primed the thumb-piece k and the cartridge-receiver a: both occupy the positions shown within the circumference ofthe disks in which the movementis mounted.

The instrument, having been wound, cooked, and primed, is locked by the insertion of a wire through apertures in two or more of the disks to prevent. the rotation of the fan, and

it may thus be transmitted without danger, and kept for any length of time ready for use. When itis to be used the disk is set to the time required, the wire withdrawn, setting the works in motion, and the apparatus is inclosed in an elastic envelope, Q, of rubber, which fits over' it in two parts, as shown. It is then placed in the shell rubber diaphragm, R, the periphery of which is secured betweenannular metallic plates R, forming a rim which fits against an internal shoulder directly in rear of the main chargechambe1" B. A similar diaphragm, T, is then;

inserted rear cap, by means of a steel spike or plug, into an aperture formed to receive it, one half in the cap and the other half in thebodyof the shell. The projectile is then placed in the behind the time mechanism, and the G, screwed on and immovably fixed .gun and fired, and will explode infallibly at S, driven in contact with an elastic the expiration of the time for which it is set, be it fifteen minutes, or an hour, or any desired period.

v Fig. 2 represents a shell constructed as de 5 scribed, and provided also with an incendiary- I chamber, U, to be filled with gasoline or other highly-inflammable compound which will be ignited by the explosion of the shell.

Having thus described my invention, the

10 following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A time-firing mechanism contained in a rubbercasing, Q, constructed as herein shown and described, to adapt it to be quickly closed over said mechanism.

2. The combination? of the time mechanism, the rubber envelope Q, and the elastic diaphragm R T with a and for the purposes set forth.

'M RoN ooLoNE Witnesses L x OGTAVIUS KNIGHT, WALTER ALLEN.

projectile or torpedo, as. 

